A saint (聖者, seija) is a particularly enlightened individual in Buddhism, either an arhat or a bodhisattva. These two classifications refer to individuals who are on the way towards becoming a full Buddha—whereas an arhat refers to someone who seeks to free themselves from saṃsāra (cycle of rebirth) for their own sake, a bodhisattva is an individual who desires to obtain Buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient life. In Mahayana Buddhism, the branch of Buddhism that is most common in Japan, seeking enlightenment to become a bodhisattva is considered laudable and encouraged, whereas becoming an arhat is considered selfish.
Saint Hakushin is the only real saint in the series—one who sought to become a "living buddha" (i.e. a Buddhist mummy, through the process of Sokushinbutsu) to protect the people who relied on him in life, and therefore would be classified as a bodhisattva. His fear of death in the last moments of his life prevented him from obtaining Buddhahood, though his boddhisattva spirit remained in the physical world to protect the people of the region from suffering. As a saint, his spiritual power is greater than any other in the series.
Most bodhisattvas are not mummies, however; in fact, the practice is considered controversial in most Buddhist schools, and was eventually banned in Japan in 1879. Saint Hakushin himself only resorted to Sokushinbutsu because he was already dying, and he wanted to leave something behind that would inspire his followers. Normally, Sokushinbutsu requires a wood-only diet over the course of eight to ten years, but Saint Hakushin lived during a period of famine and sickness. The rushed way in which his body was mummified before he could properly purify his body through ritual fasting is likely one important reason why he failed to overcome his attachment to life.
Kikyō adopted the moniker of "Saint Hijiri" when she set out to protect a particular region from Princess Abi and her flock of demon birds; she used the name to protect her true identity from being discovered by Naraku, as she was still recovering from the poisonous wounds he had inflicted upon her at Mount Hakurei. However, as Kikyō is a miko and Shintō does not have a tradition of saints, this means that Kikyō was impersonating a Buddhist priest, possibly in order to further protect her identity, by not only concealing her voice, face, and gender from Naraku, but even her true religious affiliation.
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Physiology and Psychological Characteristics
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Known Saint
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External links
Saint on Wikipedia